Lebanese lawyers to prosecute fugitive ex-Nissan boss over trip to Israel

Lebanese lawyers have filed a report to the country’s judiciary, demanding fugitive former Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn be prosecuted over a trip he made to the Israeli-occupied territories as one of the most recognizable titans of auto industry more than a decade ago.

Lebanon's official National News Agency reported on Thursday that three lawyers “submitted a report to the public prosecutor against businessman Carlos Ghosn for the crime of having entered an enemy country and violated the boycott law.”

They said several contracts were concluded during his January 2008 trip, and added that Ghosn had participated in a number of economic conferences.

“Doing business with Israel is not a matter of opinion - any normalization is forbidden by law,” Hassan Bazzi, one of the lawyers, told AFP.

“Where were the public prosecutor and general security when Ghosn visited Lebanon, after he traveled to occupied Palestine and was photographed there?,” Bazzi questioned.

Nissan's Chairman Carlos Ghosn ousted over financial misconduct allegations

Nissan Motor Chairman Carlos Ghosn was arrested on Monday, November 19, for alleged financial misconduct.

“Lebanon prosecutes poor people while those who have earned millions by investing with the enemy are treated as national heroes,” the Lebanese lawyer argued.

Lebanon and Israel are technically at war due to the latter’s occupation of the country’s Shebaa Farms since 1967.

Israel staged two wholesale wars against Lebanon in 2000 and 2006 to defeat the country’s resistance movement of Hezbollah, which is Lebanon’s de facto military power.

Tel Aviv fell short of the ambition in both cases in the face of strong resistance by Hezbollah, backed by the national army, and instead saw its myth of invincibility being dealt a serious blow.

Lebanon played no official role in Ghosn exit: Minister

Meanwhile, Lebanon’s caretaker Defense Minister Elias Bou Saab told local Arabic-language MTV television network on Thursday that his country played no official role in Ghosn’s  dramatic escape to Lebanon through Istanbul after fleeing Japan, where he was facing trial on financial misconduct charges.

Ghosn says he alone organized his escape from Japan

Also on Thursday, Ghosn sought to distance his Lebanese wife, Carole, and family from his stunning escape from bail in Japan, asserting that he organized the exit alone.

“The media reports saying my wife Carole and other family members played a role in my departure from Japan are falsehoods. I alone organized my departure,” he said.

Earlier in the day, Lebanon received an Interpol arrest warrant for the former Nissan chairman.

Lebanon president denies welcoming fugitive Ghosn as Beirut gets Interpol red notice

The Lebanese president has denied welcoming fugitive auto tycoon Carlos Ghosn to the country as Interpol sends a red notice to Beirut.

Turkey has detained seven people, including four pilots, as part of an investigation into how Ghosn managed to transit through Istanbul as he fled Japan on his way to Lebanon

An unnamed police spokeswoman told Reuters that the other detainees were two airport ground workers and one cargo worker.

Turkish-language Hurriyet daily newspaper, citing an interior ministry official, reported that Turkish border police were not notified about Ghosn's arrival, and neither his entry nor exit were registered.

People familiar with the matter told Reuters that Ghosn had arrived in Beirut on a private jet from Istanbul.

A plane carrying Ghosn arrived at 5:30 a.m. local time (0230 GMT) on Monday at Istanbul's Ataturk Airport, Hurriyet added, noting that prosecutors ordered the arrests after widening their investigation.

Seven detained in Istanbul over aiding ex-Nissan CEO's escape

Turkish police detain seven people in an investigation into former Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn’s escape to Lebanon through Istanbul.

On Tuesday, Ghosn confirmed he was in Lebanon, saying he “will no longer be held hostage by a rigged Japanese justice system where guilt is presumed, discrimination is rampant, and basic human rights are denied,” Ghosn, 65, said in a brief statement.

“I am now in Lebanon and will no longer be held hostage by a rigged Japanese justice system where guilt is presumed, discrimination is rampant, and basic human rights are denied,” Ghosn, 65, said in a brief statement.

“I have not fled justice - I have escaped injustice and political persecution. I can now finally communicate freely with the media, and look forward to starting next week,” he added.

Ex-Nissan boss flees Japan to Lebanon

Ousted Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn escapes Japan, where he is facing charges of financial misconduct, and arrives in Lebanon.

Japan’s public broadcaster NHK said on Thursday that Japanese authorities allowed the businessman, who holds French, Lebanese and Brazilian citizenships, to carry a spare French passport in a locked case while out on bail.

Lebanon does not have an extradition treaty with Japan, according to Japan's Justice Ministry, making it unlikely that Ghosn could be forced to return to Tokyo to face trial.

Nissan’s Ghosn arrested in Japan for alleged financial misconduct

Nissan Motor Co Chairman Carlos Ghosn has been arrested for alleged financial misconduct and will be fired from the board this week.

Ghosn was arrested in Tokyo in November 2018. He faces four charges, including hiding income and enriching himself through payments to car dealerships in the Middle East.

He has repeatedly asserted his innocence, saying authorities trumped up charges to prevent a possible fuller merger between Nissan Motor Co. and alliance partner Renault SA.

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